stress<\/a>.<\/p>\nThis leads us to the third thing to do before therapy.<\/p>\n
3. Explore Your Behavioral Health Benefits<\/h2>\n
Be familiar with the insurance coverage you have, if any, and what it will cover in terms of behavioral health, both in-network and out-of-network. Find out if you have a deductible and how much you have satisfied so far, what the therapist\u2019s fees are, what your copayment is, whether you need a referral or authorization, and whether you are allotted a limited number of sessions. Having this information will enable you to be an informed consumer.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s best to know what therapy will cost per session before you begin so there are no surprises once you start. Again, you want it to be as comfortable and smooth a process as possible.<\/p>\n
4. Have Questions Ready When You Schedule Your First Appointment<\/h2>\n
Write down the name, number, and location of the therapist you are calling, as well as the questions you want to ask. This way, you can keep track of responses if you reached out to more than one counselor. Don\u2019t be afraid to get the answers you need. You may want to ask the therapist directly about how they work, how long the sessions are, and how often you will typically meet. Feel free to ask about office procedures such as last-minute cancellations, what happens when there\u2019s bad weather, etc.<\/p>\n
This conversation gives you the opportunity to get a \u201cvibe\u201d or sense of whether you will be comfortable working with a particular therapist.<\/p>\n
Finally \u2026<\/p>\n
5. Prepare to Do Some Work<\/h2>\n
You will get out of counseling what you are willing to put into it. It\u2019s not always easy. It requires thought, introspection, reflection, and effort, a willingness to \u201ctry on\u201d different perceptions or experiment with alternative behavioral approaches.<\/p>\n
Know that there will be days you will feel resistant and won\u2019t want to attend your session. I tell people I work with in therapy that THOSE sessions, when you DO show up, are often the most meaningful and powerful ones. Hesitation can serve as a signal that important work is about to be done. Showing up and telling your therapist that you contemplated canceling can open up a significant dialogue about where you are in your healing process, as well as where you\u2019re going.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t throw a dart at an online directory. Take responsibility for your healing as best you can. Don\u2019t expect that every therapist will be the perfect match for you. Find the right fit<\/a>. Feel the relief and self-assuredness that you are making an informed choice when you make that call and schedule your first therapy appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You’ve decided to pursue therapy. Now what? What should you look for in a therapist, and how should you prepare? Here are five things to do before you call.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2944,"featured_media":42735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[31,49],"class_list":["post-28411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","tag-psychotherapy-practice","tag-considering-psychotherapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Choosing to see a therapist is a huge decision. It\u2019s that moment when you decide:<\/p>\n